Bylaws & Policies

Bylaws

Revised effective July 1, 2023

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The College of Engineering operates at two distinct locations, Lincoln and Omaha. Weather activity may have differing impacts on these locations. The effects could cause one location to close operations at a time, when operations at the other location remain in force. For the purposes of attendance, the primary location of employment will govern, such that employees based in Lincoln will follow the closure directives of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and the employees based in Omaha follow the closure directives of the University of Nebraska – Omaha. The time reporting protocol for all College of Engineering employees will follow the standards established by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

For additional information related to closures due to inclement weather:
Lincoln: http://bf.unl.edu/policies/winter-weather-policy-and-procedures
Omaha: http://emergency.unomaha.edu/weather/

COE Building Use Guidelines (7-2024)

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has established signature delegation limits for all UN campuses. This policy can be accessed at http://bf.unl.edu/policies/. In order to ensure compliance with this statement and the established policies and procedures at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, every expenditure using college funds must be approved by a college administrator. College administrators are defined as the Dean, the Associate and Assistant Deans, and their designees. The most appropriate method of gaining college approval is through Faculty Service Representatives in Engineering Administrative Services.

If you are aware of a material financial issue, error or risk, you are encouraged to report the matter to the Assistant Dean for Business and Fiscal Affairs for the College of Engineering. If after submitting to the Assistant Dean, you believe your concerns need further review, please forward your concerns to the Dean of the College of Engineering. As required, all reports will be forwarded to the University Controller.

Updated July, 2023

The University of Nebraska travel policies, procedures, resources and contacts are located here.

The purposes and underlying reasons for the University of Nebraska’s Travel Policy is multifaceted:

• To create a uniform travel process (from travel approval through reimbursement) for individuals traveling on university business and employees processing the related expenses;
• To ensure consistent application of travel policies for all travelers across the University of Nebraska system; and,
• To ensure compliance with all federal and State of Nebraska statutes and policies as well as with relevant requirements for international travel.

This policy applies to all university employees traveling on approved university business and/or whose travel is paid and/or reimbursed by the university and to non-university personnel doing business with or for the university as stated within the policy.

Duty of Care

Duty of Care is about individual wellbeing, welfare, compliance and good practice. The university has the moral and a legal obligation to ensure that everyone associated with the university whether faculty, staff, volunteer or student is fully protected from any personal physical and/or emotional harm, either on the premises, engaged in activities or traveling on behalf of the university.

Before the trip

• A travel request must be completed prior to each travel instance (each trip). The travel request must be approved prior to making any travel arrangements (airfare, hotel, conference registration, etc.)
• Pre-trip requests for international destinations should be submitted for approval at least 30 days in advance of departure. This allows time for the required export control review and the traveler to be informed of and enrolled in all international support services.
• University of Nebraska Travel Policy states that all airline reservations should be purchased via Concur or by contacting our agency, Fox World Travel. If you find a lower fare outside of Concur, Fox must be given the opportunity to match that fare. Fox World Travel should be contacted within 24 hours of you finding the lower fare.
• Review the travel policy. See Appendix A for all allowable expenses and the required receipts.

After the trip

Expense reports need to be submitted as soon as possible to allow for Accounts Payable/Payment Services to review and if needed, return for changes. Expense reports cannot be submitted after the 60-day deadline.

Personal Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement

The College of Engineering follows the University of Nebraska Travel Policy for mileage reimbursement, which may be found here.

The following additional policies and procedures apply to College of Engineering students, staff and faculty traveling between City or East Campus in Lincoln and Scott Campus in Omaha:

• Faculty and staff may use their personal vehicles for travel between City, East and Scott campuses. Travel approval will be made through the department and/or the Dean’s Office. Mileage reimbursement will be at the standard mileage rate established by the University of Nebraska for the actual miles driven on university business. Students are not approved to use personally owned vehicles on university business.
• The college has two university vehicles on Scott Campus. The cars may be reserved via the University of Nebraska Space Reservation and Events site (EMS). Priority will be given to those reserving the university vehicle in the order shown: (1) teaching purposes, (2) official college business and (3) other university business. Once the reservation is approved, the car key may be picked up from the Engineering Student Services front office in PKI (first floor). 
• Vehicles may also be reserved from UNL Fleet Management on City Campus.
• Faculty, staff, and students must be approved as authorized drivers through UNL Fleet Management prior to reserving and driving a university vehicle.

The Engineering Business Center is available to assist with your travel-related questions. Please contact Barb Robertson at brobertson2@unl.edu or 402-472-1942.

It is the responsibility of each department chair to ensure consistent compliance with travel. Overall responsibility for monitoring compliance with this policy will rest with the Dean and the Assistant Dean for Business and Financial Affairs. The dean has the express authority to refuse reimbursement for any expense deemed inappropriate or excessive.

Approved by the College March 18, 2010

When considering nominees or reappointees for Endowed Chair positions in the College of Engineering, a completed application form (PDF Version) should be submitted to the Dean’s Office as indicated by instructions provided to the nominee, nominator or reappointee. The purpose of the form is to document professional accomplishments of the faculty member to be nominated or reappointed as recommended to University of Nebraska administration by the Dean of the College of Engineering.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has established an academic leave of absence policy. The Faculty Development Fellowship program (paid leave) is limited to persons who have held full-time appointments within the University of Nebraska for at least six years at the rank of assistant professor, associate professor or full professor. Faculty Development Fellowships will be available on a competitive basis, rather than as an automatic reward for years of service. The program cannot be used for the purpose of pursuing an advanced degree.

More information on UNL Faculty Development Fellowships may be found at this link:  https://academicaffairs.unl.edu/faculty/development-fellowships

Procedures for submitting Faculty Development Fellowship applications
Please submit Faculty Development Fellowship applications to the Dean's Office at least six months in advance (for Fall Semester and Academic Year applicants no later than February 1; for Spring Semester applicants no later than July 1)

Applications must contain the following:

• A completed “Application for Faculty Development Fellowship Cover Sheet” with applicant and unit head signatures
• A statement by the applicant (no more than 5 pages) describing the proposed project. This statement should include:
  • a description of the work to be undertaken during the proposed leave
  • an explanation of the benefits of the proposed leave to the University and the faculty member
  • an updated report on the dates, activities and accomplishments from any previous paid leaves while at UNL, if applicable
• The applicant’s current CV
• A letter of support from the applicant’s Unit Head

The criteria for the award of FDFs will be the following:

1. Potential for the proposed activities to promote a faculty member’s prominent scholarly activities, particularly towards enhancing the prospects for obtaining external funding support
2. The FDF proposal must present a clear goal and plan.
3. The benefits of the leave to the University and the faculty member must be explained in terms of departmental, college and campus priorities.

Procedures for recommending the award of an FDF

1. The Dean of the College of Engineering will review and either approve or disapprove each FDF application.
2. All approved FDF applications will be forwarded to the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor with a recommendation for approval.
3. The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor reviews and sends all approved applications to the Office of the President for review and approval on behalf of the Board of Regents.
4. When the College is notified of approved applications it will notify faculty and department heads accordingly.

Reporting requirements
Upon return to normal academic duties, a person awarded an FDF must submit an electronic written report to Kathy Glenn (kglenn2@unl.edu) in the Dean’s Office no later than 60 days after the faculty member returns to work following the FDF. The Dean’s Office will forward the report to the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor. The report should compare the faculty member's actual activities with those outlined in the proposal, the relationship of these activities to his/her intellectual, artistic, and/or professional growth within his/her discipline, and the ways in which the faculty member feels that experience gained during the fellowship will improve his/her performance as a faculty member at the University.

College of Engineering Policy on Annual Evaluations when on Faculty Leave
Approved by College of Engineering Dean and Department Executive Officers Effective October 17, 2017

Faculty can take extended leave from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in a number of ways. Purposes for taking leaves include faculty development leaves, medical leaves, family reasons, and others such as military duty, jury duty, etc. UNL forms to be submitted when requesting leave and more information may be found at this website: http://academicaffairs.unl.edu/faculty/leaves

For faculty within the College of Engineering, the following policy applies with regards to annual evaluations for faculty on leave.

• When a leave is planned or anticipated, whether paid or unpaid, the faculty member shall meet with their Unit Head in advance of the leave to determine appropriate guidelines and metrics for the faculty member’s evaluation while on that leave. A summary memo shall be submitted to the Dean’s Office to be maintained in the faculty member’s College file.
• When a leave is unplanned or unanticipated and an emergency, the faculty member shall meet with their Unit Head as soon as feasible to determine appropriate guidelines and metrics for the faculty member’s evaluation while on that leave. A summary memo shall be submitted to the Dean’s Office to be maintained in the faculty member’s College file.

When annual evaluations are being conducted for periods that include the faculty leave in question, faculty shall be evaluated based on the guidelines and metrics as agreed upon by the faculty and their Unit Head. The faculty member’s annual review shall not be advantaged nor disadvantaged, relative to other faculty members in the Unit or College.

The College of Engineering does not allow overload payments to College of Engineering faculty for performing additional duties within the college. To the maximum extent possible, meritorious performance will be rewarded through increases to salary base, college and university professorship programs, and tenure and promotion processes. Meritorious performance is a measure of quality.

The University encourages its faculty to engage in professional activities outside the University as a means of broadening their experience and keeping them abreast of the latest developments in their specialized fields, provided such activities do not interfere with their regular duties at the University or represent a conflict of interest. They may accept temporary or occasional employment of up to two days per month for such professional services when such employment is recommended by the Dean of the College and approved by the Chancellor and the Board of Regents.

For the complete policy, refer to the UNL website. The address is http://www.unl.edu/svcaa/policies/outside_activity.shtml

Approved by College of Engineering Dean and Department Executive Officers
Updated November 1, 2017

Requests for Extension of Nebraska College of Engineering Faculty Start-Up Funds

Please submit start-up extension requests to the Dean’s Office attention of Mark Riley, Associate Dean for Research (mriley3@unl.edu) with a copy to Kathy Glenn, Director of Administration (kglenn2@unl.edu). Requests should be submitted as electronic letter no later than three months prior to the startup expiration date. In general, such requests should not be longer than two pages. The Dean’s Office, at its discretion, may approve start-up extensions beyond the original expiration date. Such approval is not automatic and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis taking into account the faculty member’s justification for the request, the rate at which funds have been spent to date, and the faculty member’s intended use of the funds.

Faculty members must review and confirm their remaining start-up balance to ensure accuracy with any extension request.

Requests must contain the following:

• Faculty member’s name, department/unit, start-up fund expiration date, and duration for which extension is being requested.
• Brief summary of UNL research activity that includes awards, graduated students, publications, funded work, and proposals in process or planned.
• Brief summary of start-up expenditures to-date and estimated expenditures by the original end date.
• Brief justification of the need for extension of the start-up and a specific timeline for expenditures including breakdown of personnel, equipment, and operations. For equipment yet to be purchased, the specific equipment and supplier must be identified.
• Letter from department/unit head summarizing the discussion regarding start-up with the faculty member and concurrence with the requested start-up extension based on that discussion, which may include any additional justification information.

Procedure for approval of faculty start-up extensions

• The Dean’s Office will review and contact the faculty member and/or department/unit chair for additional information, if needed, in order to determine if an extension will be granted. Every effort will be made to complete the review and approval process prior to the original startup expiration date.
• Faculty members and department/unit chairs will be notified in writing upon approval of the request for extension. Dean’s Office financial staff and appropriate departmental/unit administrative staff will be included in the notification string.

One three-credit-hour course is considered to be equivalent to 12.5% teaching apportionment. The unit head will determine the amount of teaching apportionment for courses that are less than or more than 3 credit hours.

(Approved by College of Engineering Extended Leadership Committee Retreat, August 19, 2019)

Any service apportionment over 5% should be specifically documented and evaluated during the faculty member’s annual evaluation.

Example service over 5% apportionment include: associate chair position in a unit; unit committee leadership positions (e.g. graduate chair, P&T chair, curriculum committee chair); leadership position for ABET preparation; and some intensive external service (e.g. leadership positions in professional societies, associate editor for a journal)

(Approved by College of Engineering Extended Leadership Committee meeting, September 9, 2020)

Apportionment Categories and Definitions

University of Nebraska Board of Regents Bylaw 4.3. (b) (2) states: The specific apportionment of a faculty member’s responsibilities shall be reviewed periodically. “Either the faculty member or the responsible unit administrator may initiate discussions of changes in apportionment of teaching, research, service, administration and extension responsibilities. In the process of any such discussions, both the faculty member and the unit administrator shall act in good faith to reach a mutual agreement.”

Faculty members and unit leaders are expected to work cooperatively to agree on apportionment. Faculty members and their unit leaders typically review and discuss apportionment during the annual evaluation process, in spring semester. Apportionment changes may also be requested and discussed at other times throughout the year.Generally, it is expected that apportionment should not be changed from semester to semester or year to year, but rather on a longer time scale. If the unit head and faculty member agree on a new apportionment, the requested change can be documented in the unit head’s evaluation report, or  a ‘College of Engineering Change in ApportionmentForm’, with signatures from both parties, and  submitted to the College of Engineering (COE) Dean’s Office. 

If an agreement cannot be reached about apportionment, the party that declares an impasse shall inform the COE Associate Dean in charge of faculty affairs in writing of the impasse and shall request that the case be forwarded to the COE Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Committee for arbitration, as defined in the COE Bylaws and described in the COE ‘Procedures for Apportionment Arbitration’. Please note that the faculty member’s apportionment remains unchanged until the arbitration process is finalized.

To further our research mission, College of Engineering faculty may from time to time, at the discretion of the Department Chair / School Director, buyout of teaching responsibilities for one or more courses. The intent is that this policy is applied for short-term adjustments whereas changes in apportionment provide a means for long-term changes in responsibilities.

Guidelines:

1. A faculty member, with approval of their Department Chair or School Director, may buy out of responsibilities for teaching a 3-credit course using sponsored project funds at a rate equivalent to 12.5% of their state allocated annual salary. Department / School funds or start-up funds may not be used for a course buy out.
2. Salary funds will be returned to the faculty member’s department under discretionary use of the Unit Administrator. The home academic unit will be responsible for identifying a replacement instructor and covering the costs of any salary adjustments and for all costs associated with the buyout.
3. All course buyout requests should be submitted in writing to the Unit Administrator by November 1st for Spring and April 1st for Fall semesters. The request must include the course title and number, expected enrollment, and source of funds being used by the faculty member for the buyout.
4. Participation in course buyout does not reduce the faculty member’s undergraduate advising responsibilities, university service expectations, or efforts related to mentoring graduate students.
5. Releases granted for major service responsibilities (such as serving as a Center Director, Department Chair, or similar), must be approved by both the Unit Administrator and the COE Dean. Such release does not preclude a faculty member’s opportunity to buy out of a course using grant dollars.
6. Teaching responsibilities of faculty generally should not fall below teaching two, 3- credit courses each academic year.
7. Faculty should not buy out of courses for the following reasons: pursuit of external business interests that may compete with the mission of the University of Nebraska or activities that may result in circumstances that may be detrimental to the department in question. In all situations, UNL Conflict of Interest Policy must be followed (http://research.unl.edu/researchcompliance/conflict-of-interest/).

Approved by College of Engineering Dean and Department Executive Officers
Updated March 1, 2023

The minimum annual salary for postdoctoral research associates hired in the College of Engineering beginning work on or after March 1, 2023, will be based on current National Institutes of Health (NIH) minimums. These may be found at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-23-076.html.

Based upon NIH minimums, the current salary for FY2023 for a full-time (1.0 FTE) postdoctoral associate with 0 years of experience is $56,484. All new research proposal budgets must reflect this amount, at minimum, when planning for the hiring of postdoctoral research associates. Minimum appointments of one (1) year are required unless special circumstances dictate shorter durations as approved by College of Engineering Human Resources in consultation with the Dean.

As postdoctoral research associates are typically hired using externally sponsored projects, all personnel actions (hiring, extension of appointment, salary adjustments, etc.) must have demonstrated available funding for salary and benefits for the expected duration of appointment. Regardless of source of funding, Postdoctoral research associates are typically eligible for all regular employee benefits (including vacation and sick leave) but not retirement benefits.

Graduate Assistantship Policy

Faculty-led Study Abroad Guidelines

Oftentimes it is necessary to show some matching when applying for grants. Due to financial exigencies, the College of Engineering must limit matching funds on grants as much as possible. However, in certain cases, matching funds will be considered.

1. Proposals for grants or contracts shall not volunteer cost-sharing nor matching.
2. Written evidence of REQUIRED match must be submitted at the time of the request and routed with the proposal.
3. Principal Investigators are encouraged to seek in-kind cost-sharing alternatives to the maximum extent possible prior to requesting matching funds.
4. Commitments from other departments or units, including the Vice Chancellor for Research Office, does not constitute a commitment from the College of Engineering.

The College of Engineering typically recovers one-third of the Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs generated by sponsored projects within the college. The college will share with departments and Principal Investigators the recovery of all F&A returned to the college. Distributions will be allocated into separate funds. The following formulae will be used when determining allocations:

• PI’s will receive 20% of the amount recovered by the college that is directly attributed to their sponsored projects that earmark F&A return to the College of Engineering.
• Departments will receive 30% 25% of the amount recovered by the college, which is directly attributed to their PIs’ sponsored projects that earmark F&A return to the College of Engineering.
• The College of Engineering will retain the remaining F&A recovery.

The COE is supportive of faculty starting their own companies, in line with the economic development mission of the UNL Office of Research and Innovation, and with the desire to help boost economic development for the State of Nebraska. Faculty interested in leasing space, equipment, and/or bench space should use the following procedure to make their request.

Procedure for leasing laboratory space

The Dean has the final authority for all space decisions on UNL City Campus and Omaha PKI building complex. Space is a limited resource and must be managed responsibly and promote the College’s mission and strategic priorities. This policy ensures the procedure for the assignment of all space is transparent and subject to evaluation criteria and standards based on type and location of space. This policy applies to all research, instructional, office, student-oriented and public spaces.

The Dean has established the Space Utilization Committee (SUC) to review and make recommendations concerning the most effective use of COE’s physical resources and infrastructure.

Space Allocation Policy and Procedures